But Scheelhaase is just as excited about the depth of his running back room. There will be plenty of competition for that No. 2 spot behind Montgomery among redshirt sophomore Kene Nwangwu, redshirt junior Sheldon Croney Jr., redshirt senior Mike Warren and redshirt freshman Johnnie Lang.

Scheelhaase said it's still very early in fall camp, and he'll learn more how his running backs will shake out over the next couple weeks.

"We don't necessarily say, 'Hey, on this date we want to figure out this.' We let them practice and we’ll let their film do the talking," Scheelhaase said. "So, we’ll know how to use those guys. Those guys are all going to get used, they’re all going to get carries. That’s the positive."

Warren and Croney essentially split 65 carries in a back-up role last season.

Iowa State Cyclones running back David Montgomery (32) dives in for a touchdown to put the Cyclones back up 41-34 during the second half of their football game at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Ames. Oklahoma State would go on to win 49-42.
Brian Powers/The Register

Iowa State Cyclones running back David Montgomery (32) is tackled during the first half of their football game against Oklahoma State at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Ames.
Brian Powers/The Register

Iowa State Cyclones running back David Montgomery (32) celebrates his touchdown putting the Cyclones up 13-6 during the first half of their football game at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Ames.
Brian Powers/The Register

Iowa State Cyclones running back David Montgomery (32) runs around Oklahoma State Cowboys defensive end Jarrell Owens (93) during the first half of their football game at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Ames.
Brian Powers/The Register

Redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Kempt (17) hands off to sophmore running back David Montgomery (32) during their football game against Kansas at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, in Ames.
Brian Powers/The Register

Iowa State sophomore running back David Montgomery (32) is tackled by Iowa senior defensive back Miles Taylor (19) during the first half of their football game at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, in Ames.
Brian Powers/The Register

Iowa State sophomore running back David Montgomery poses for a photo during the Iowa State football team media day at Bergstrom Indoor Practice Facility on the Iowa State campus in Ames on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017.
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2017, file photo, Iowa State running back David Montgomery runs from TCU defenders Travin Howard (32), Ty Summers (42) and Chris Bradley (56) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, in Ames, Iowa. Montgomery leads the Big 12 with eight rushing touchdowns and is the second-leading rusher with 716 yards. Iowa State plays at West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 4. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
The Associated Press

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2017, file photo, Iowa State running back David Montgomery (32) runs from Iowa defensive back Michael Ojemudia, left, during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Ames, Iowa. Montgomery is averaging 5.7 yards per carry. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
The Associated Press

In this Oct. 15, 2016, Iowa State running back David Montgomery (32) runs during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas, in Austin, Texas. Montgomery averaged 5.2 yards per carry and closed the season with 141 yards against West Virginia.
Michael Thomas, AP

On Kene Nwangwu: "I like that he’s really, really fast. He’s physical. Kene’s physical — he’s not a fast track/football player. He’s a football player that runs physical with the football, which is obviously what you want to see. Obviously, he’s been used before on special teams and in the return game. We definitely think that could be an area where he could continue to help at. But on the field, with our base stuff, he can do it — which is good. That’s what you want to see. I think the question with him, even coming out of high school was, 'Can he be a back that can play first, second, third down?' And that’s what he’s continuing to prove."

On Mike Warren: "He’s a big, strong, fast kid. I think Mike is so much different than he was even three years ago, where he was more thin, just fast, trying to break 80-yarders. Now, he’s not only got that speed to break it 80 yards, but just to run through arm tackles. And that’s what we saw a lot of during the spring. He was running more physical. So, to see that physicality from him, that brings a whole new element to his game that can be really beneficial for us."

Iowa State running back Mike Warren (2) runs up field during the second half of an NCAA college football game against San Jose State, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 44-10. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
The Associated Press

September 3, 2016: Iowa State Cyclones running back Mike Warren (2) runs the ball as Northern Iowa Panthers defensive back Elijah Campbell (19) defends during a NCAA football game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the University of Northern Iowa Panthers at Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA.
Merle Laswell/For the Register

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On Sheldon Croney Jr.: "Sheldon has been as consistent since the spring as any player on the roster. We always look for guys that are consistent, guys that are trustworthy, guys that when they're on the field they're going to do the right things. And that’s who he’s been. He’s a patient running back. He has really good vision. Sheldon is a tough player. There were a couple times this spring where the hamstring was a little bit sore, knee was a little bit banged up — and he battled. A tough, tough player."

Iowa State running back Sheldon Croney Jr. (25) is tackled by Kansas State linebacker Trent Tanking (58) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017.(Photo: Orlin Wagner/AP)

On Johnnie Lang: "Johnnie is the last person you want to see in a phone booth. He’s tough to tackle. He’s lightning-quick. He’s already had a few times where he’s one-on-one with the safety and he would be a problem in the open field. You want to figure out a way to get him the ball in open space and allow him to just work on guys in space — work one-on-ones."

CLOSE

Iowa State running back Johnnie Lang is thankful for the opportunity the Cyclones have given him.
Tommy Birch, tbirch@dmreg.com

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.